Daronte Jones will speak to the Washington Commanders' media for the first time next week. And the no-nonsense coach will waste no time in setting out his stall as he looks to get the team's defense on the platform to prosperity.
The Commanders have taken a big leap of faith with Jones. They tried hard to lure Brian Flores away from the Minnesota Vikings, but he returned to the NFC North club in a deal reportedly worth more than $6 million per season. Head coach Dan Quinn settled for his right-hand man, and there is an enormous sense of intrigue about what the first-time play-caller could bring to Washington.
Jones has invested a significant amount of time and worked hard for this opportunity. His work with defensive backs is revered. Earning Flores' respect is just another example of his relentless desire to be great. Still, running your own defense is a different ballgame entirely.
Daronte Jones is looking mold his scheme around Commanders' defensive strengths
Speculation is already rising about the scheme Jones will run, given how many exceptional defensive minds he's worked with throughout his career. The coordinator is more interested in securing more takeaways and playing to the strengths of the individuals at his disposal. After that, he believes everything else will fall into place.
"We attack the ball. I always tell players -- especially defensive backs -- they all want to get paid. Well, you're not getting paid if you don't touch the ball, whether it's forcing fumbles or creating interceptions, you get paid at this level by touching the football. Whatever our guys do best is what we're gonna try to feature and at the end of the day 4-3, 3-4, it's just numbers. You still have to have some gap integrity, but our goal is just to put guys in the best position we see fit that allows them to execute."Daronte Jones via Commanders.com
This statement is a breath of fresh air that every player should love. There will be plenty of new faces, but molding a scheme around the strengths of his unit rather than trying to put square pegs into round holes is the correct path.
General manager Adam Peters will seek counsel from Jones about what sort of players he's looking for in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft. Getting younger and more dynamic is crucial. The Commanders need more speed off the edge and more physically imposing ballhawks in the secondary. Fixing every problem in one offseason might be difficult, but Washington may finally have the right coordinator to maximize the players' attributes.
It's an exciting and uncertain time. But for Jones, the principles won't change, even if the location has.